The Chicago Bulls bounce back season is already off to a bad start. The team began practice on Tuesday and already Derrick Rose is injured. History simply continues to repeat itself for the point guard who found himself the victim of an elbow to the face which caused him to suffer an orbital fracture that will require surgery. Jimmy Butler will now once again step up as the franchise leader.
According to Nick Friedell of ESPN.com, Rose suffered the fracture in practice and will undergo surgery with a timetable for his return unknown at the moment. According to power forward Taj Gibson, the point guard left practice early and no one really knew the severity of the injury until it was reported to them later.
"He got a little elbow," Gibson said, vi ESPN.com. "We don't know the [severity] of it, but hopefully he'll be fine. I know he's tough. But it was one of those plays, especially in practice, where everybody's going hard. It's just tough."
Bulls' fans certainly do not need to be reminded of Rose's lengthy injury history since signing the max contract worth five years and $95 million before the 2011-2012 season. The injury comes after Rose hinted that free agency was certainly on his mind. The point guard's contract is not up for another two years, but Rose is already thinking about when he can cash in on the increasing salary caps. However, the injury will certainly facture into those numbers.
With Rose out, Butler once again steps up as the leader. The forward earned a nice contract extension in the offseason after he proved he could carry the team with Rose out. That will once again be the case as much has been made about Butler's and Rose's relationship on and off the court. Butler did not help himself during media day. The forward was asked about Rose's comments on free agency to which he responded saying (via Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com), "He can talk about unicorns and rainbows for all I care. Just help us win some basketball games."
Rose told the media that he and Butler have been working on chemistry heading into the new season. That might need a little more time to develop. With Rose out for the time being, Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks will fill in until the point guard gets healthy. Both players returned this season as the Bulls knew how valuable they could be. Rose might be ready to play come the start of the season or he might miss some time. The Bulls will get a clearer picture of things once the point guard undergoes surgery.
